The ACLU Has Challenged the Trump Administration Since the 2016 Election

These legal defenders have no issue taking on the president.

There have been many days since Donald Trump has been the president of the United States that the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has tweeted, "
See you in court!."

The group is comprised of legal defenders and social justice activists who remain dedicated to protecting the rights of everyone living in the United States, documented or otherwise, discriminatory-minded or not — all in the name of the Constitution.

ACLU membership has since quadrupled from 425,000 to 1.6 million, and an estimated one million people have made online contributions, totaling $85 million, according to Thomas Dresslar, a media relations associate at the ACLU. Dresslar tells Teen Vogue that 250,000 people have joined the ACLU mobilization effort at Peoplepower.org, and have hosted over 2,500 activities nationwide. Dresslar adds that more than a million people watched a resistance training video made by the organization, too.

Ymijan Baftijari, 25, was one of those who donated during the ACLU's record-breaking donation weekend. It was her first time contributing to the organization and she tells Teen Vogue that it was her job as a writer that made her aware of the onslaught of injustices brought forth by the Trump administration's policies. "I lit a fire under my own ass after covering #[NoBanNoWall] and immediately made my donation to support immigrants and refugees," Ymijan says.

In October, the ACLU had a major victory against the Trump administration in Garza v. Hargan, a case in which a 17-year-old undocumented woman was seeking an abortion. The teen, who was living in a government-funded shelter in Texas, was forced to have a sonogram and visit a religiously affiliated "crisis pregnancy center" against her will. The ACLU prevailed, and she was able to get an abortion on October 25. The teen released a statement as "Jane Doe" after the judge's ruling, in which she thanked her lawyers and also strangers who had shown their support.

"My lawyers have told me that people around the country have been calling and writing to show support for me," she said. "I am touched by this show of love from people I may never know and from a country I am just beginning to know — to all of you, thank you. This is my life, my decision. I want a better future. I want justice."

On October 31, the ACLU announced another lawsuit against the government for the illegal detainment of 10-year-old Rosa Maria Hernandez, an undocumented child, who was en route to the hospital for gallbladder surgery. The ACLU said that authorities had no right to wait outside her hospital room until her surgery was over and then take her into immigration detention, especially since she's still recovering.

"By arresting Rosa Maria and refusing to reunite her with her family, Customs and Border Protection and the Office of Refugee Resettlement are not just inflicting cruel and unnecessary trauma on a child they are breaking laws on multiple fronts and violating the Constitution," Amrit Cheng, ACLU communications strategist, wrote on the ACLU website. On Friday, November 3, the ACLU announced that Rosa Maria was released from custody to her family.

Between January and August, the ACLU has taken on more immigration cases than any other type of lawsuit involving the Trump administration — 28 lawsuits and 20 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. Under government oversight and accountability, the ACLU has made four FOIA requests, two calls for investigation, one ethics complaint, one legal action, and one lawsuit. To protect LGBTQ rights, the ACLU has filed two Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaints and four lawsuits. Additionally, the group has filed four FOIA requests involving information on a potential executive order that would use religion to discriminate. To protect voting rights, they have filed six FOIA requests and one lawsuit. In the name of gender equality, the ACLU has filed two EEOC complaints.